Gan Kim Yong calls for concerted efforts to fight chronic diseases

SINGAPORE: Fighting chronic diseases requires a concerted effort not only from the health sector but from society at large and government, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong. He was speaking at a forum initiated by the National University of Singapore (NUS) to improve health in Asia. Mr Gan called for the health sector to reach out to experts in agriculture, the food industry, pharmaceutical companies, urban planning, transport and education and other sectors to form a united front for the public's health. He said whilst those industries and sectors might seem unrelated, common goals can be found to establish partnerships that can improve public health. "Our colleagues in clinical care have come to acknowledge that interdisciplinary teams produce good outcomes by being able to draw upon the wide array of skills from various healthcare disciplines in managing the needs of an...